Ever wonder if Minnesota nice is alive and well? Look no further than the past couple of weeks.
Sure, since the first reports of the coronavirus reaching our country there’s been a run on food, toilet paper and hand sanitizer, as well as a gambit of myths floating around about the disease, but we won’t dwell on the rationale of all that here.
Instead, we want to point out what’s been working, and that’s been the kind spirit of our community. It’s been heartwarming to see the number of people and organizations in the Brainerd lakes area stepping up to help others during the coronavirus pandemic.
Examples include people helping deliver food and lunches, offering day care for parents who need to work, opening stores early to accommodate the elderly, and experts being available to chat with us about any issues that have arisen in our daily lives during these trying times. Not to mention all the emergency and critical personnel who continue working to keep us safe -- law enforcement, paramedics, nurses, doctors, just to name a few. And we know that’s just the tip of the iceberg of all the good that has risen during the crisis.
But there are other ways to help that we would like to see come to fruition.
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The first would be for Congress to pass and President Donald Trump to sign into law the $1 trillion relief package that would include payments of $1,000 to adults and billions in loans to businesses.
As of Thursday the relief package was looking like it would become a reality, getting bipartisan support. We hope it becomes a reality fast, as many people are depending on it to make ends meet.
Unlike the Great Recession of a decade ago, the financial crisis we’re now headed for was not invented by bad business practices but by good ones. Businesses throughout Minnesota and across the country have reduced staff or closed outright in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
That’s smart planning, but it also may mean the end of those businesses and unemployment for their employees if the government didn’t offer a relief package. The aid money can be used to keep both employees and businesses solvent for at least a little while.
And locally, we can do all we can to support those businesses still operating. So go ahead and order food from our local establishments for takeout or delivery, prepay for services that are temporarily not available, buy gift cards for future use, and visit those stores that are still open.
With the coronavirus pandemic we find ourselves in a very fluid, unpredictable situation. We don’t know what tomorrow or next week will bring, but we’re sure things will be changing. That’s why it’s important for all of us to support each other.
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